Collapsible screen



March 7, 1950 H. L. HALTER COLLAPSIBLE SCREEN Filed July 25, 1948 INVENTOR.

HOWARD L- HALTER R TTORNEY Patented Mar. 7, 1950 COLLAPSIBLE SCREEN Howard 'L. Halter, Tuckahoe, N. Y., assignor to Opti-Phonetics, Inc., Tuckahoe, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application July 23, 1948, Serial No. 40,301

Claims.

This invention relates to a portable screen adapted for use in connection with motion and still picture projectors, it being among the principal objects of the present invention to provide a portable self-supporting picture projection screen which may be folded into flat and compact form for convenient storage and transportation thereof, the screen being incorporated as a component part of a unit which protects the screen from dust, finger marks and other such possible injury when it is not in use.

In its general aspects the present invention resides in the construction of a screen unit which. when folded for storage or transportation purposes, resembles in outward appearance a book, such as a phonograph disk record album, the screen being mounted between the covers of the album as a single leaf thereof and being so connected to the outer covers of the album that when said covers are spread apart into coplanar relation they serve as a horizontal base or support for the vertically extending screen.

The screen unit of the present invention is not only exceedingly simple in design and construction but is also inexpensive to manufacture, the attainment of these attributes as well as the provision of a screen unit which is sturdy of construction and durable in use being among the principal objects of the present invention.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear more fully hereinafter, it being understood that the present invention consists substantially in the combination, construction, 10- cation and relative arrangement of parts, all as will be described in detail hereinafter, as shown in the accompanying drawings and as finally pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate a preferred construction of the portable screen unit of the present invention, Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the same open and in condition for use;

Figure 2 is a view showing the unit folded into a compact form for storage or transportation thereof;

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view of the open unit as taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is an end elevational view showing the unit partially open;

Figure 5 is a sectional view of a detail of construction as taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 1; and

Figure 6 is a vertical sectional view of the screen element, per se, as taken on the line 6-8 ofFigureL.

Referring now more particularly to the drawing, it will be observed that the screen unit of the present invention essentially consists of a pair of outer cover members Iii-10 which are hinged together in the manner of a book or album to embrace therebetween an open frame member H within the opening of which is suitably fitted a screen 12 for receiving the projected picture.

This screen i2 may be formed of any suitable material such as is conventionally used with motion or still picture projectors. The screen may be either opaque or translucent depending upon whether the picture is to be projected upon the screen from the front thereof or from its rear.

The cover members ill-Ill, which are each of the same size and shape, may be separately formed and suitably hinged as at l3-i 3 to an intermediate member M which serves as a back for. the cover members lB-IB when the same are folded together into substantially parallel relation, as shown in Figure 2, with the screen dis- This fabric strip I5 extends across the full width, of the cover members I 0Hl and is adhesively:

securedthereto and to the member M to pro vide a strong and durable outer rear binding for the hinged covers of the screen book.

The cover members iEi-lll and their intermediate connecting member H! are all formed of a suitable material having requisite stiffness and rigidity, such as cardboard or other material of which book covers are conventionally made.-;

material l2 constituting the screen proper, the; coincident perimetral edges of the frame members l6.-l6 being then suitably bound together by a ixi ebmd e e 0 ou s Wa e man be dispensed with and in lieu thereof the marginal portions of the open frame members lB-IB and the corresponding portion of the screen material embraced therebetween may be suitably secured together, as by cementing, stitching or otherwise, so as to provide the screen with an adequate stiffening frame within which the screen material is tautly stretched. The overall shape and dimensions of the screen frame II are such that when the cover members Ill-l are folded against opposite sides of the frame, as shown in Figure 2, the frame is completely covered to thereby afford maximum protection for the screen element [2.

The bottom edge of the screen frame H is hingedly secured to the cover members l0|0 by flexible hinge strips l8-|8, each of which latter is adhesively or otherwise secured to one face of the frames H and to the adjoining portion of a cover Ill to provide a hinge line I9 which is substantially coincident with the line of the hinge between said cover and the intermediate member M The arrangement is generally such that when the covers are folded together they may each lie fiatwise against opposite faces of the screen frame ll.

Interconnecting each side of the screen frame I l with the opposite hinged cover members i0-l 0 are a pair of flexible straps 20-20, preferably formed of woven tape or the like. The inner ends of each pair of these straps is commonly secured to one side of the screen frame member II by a single securing element, such as a rivet 2|, while the outer ends of each pair of straps are respectively riveted or otherwise secured, as at 22, to the opposite hinged cover members l0l0.

' As most clearly appears in Figures 1 and 3, the flexible straps 20 are each of such length as to permit the cover members Ill-l0 to be extended into substantially coplanar relation with the screen frame I I extending vertically upright from the common plane of the oppositely extending cover members. The latter thus serve as a substantial horizontally extending base or support for the vertically extending screen, the latter assuming its vertical position automatically as the cover members lUlll are opened to their full extent as shown in Figure 1 and being rigidly maintained in its vertical position by the oppositely extending tie straps 20-20.

When the cover members Ill-Ill are folded toether in fiatwise relation so as to reduce the unit to flat and compact dimensions convenient for.

storage or transportation thereof, the inner flexible tie straps 20-20 are simply doubled upon themselves, as shown in Figure 4, and so interpose no interference to folding of the unit into its compactly flat closed condition, the screen being then protectively embraced by the opposed cover members of the unit.

It will be understood, of course, that the present invention is susceptible of various changes and modifications which may be made from time to time without departing from the general principles or real spirit of the invention, and it is accordingly intended to claim the same broadly, as well as specifically, as indicated by the appended claims.

' What is claimed as new and useful is:

' l. A portable screen unit for receiving thereon light-projected pictures comprising a pair of relatively stiff members hingedly secured together to provide a book-like cover, a picture-viewing screen hingedly bound between said book-like cover members, and flexible tie means respectively ex- 4 tending between opposite faces of said screen and the inner faces of said cover members to limit separation of the latter into positions in which they extend respectively at right angles to said screen.

2. A portable screen unit for receiving thereon light-projected pictures comprising a pair of relatively stiff members hingedly secured together to provide a book-like cover, a picture-viewing screen hingedly bound between said book-like cover members, and flexible tie means respectively extending between opposite faces of said screen and the inner faces of said cover members to limit separation of the latter into positions in which they extend respectively at right angles to said screen, said cover members being adapted, when swung into extreme separated relation, to serve as a horizontally extending supporting base for the picture-viewing screen.

3. A portable screen unit for receiving thereon light-projected pictures comprising a pair of relatively stiff members hingedly secured together to provide a book-like cover, a relatively stiff open frame member hingedly bound between said book-like cover members in the nature of a leaf in a book, a picture-viewing screen fitted within the opening of said frame member, and flexible tie means interconnecting said frame with each of said cover members and operative to limit separation of the latter from a substantially parallel relation in which said cover members embrace opposite faces of said screen frame to a substantially coplanar relation in which said cover members serve as a horizontal support for the picture-viewing screen extending vertically therefrom.

4. A portablescreen unit for receiving thereon light-projected picture images comprising a pair of relatively stiff members hingedly secured together to provide a book-like cover, a relatively stiff picture-viewing screen assembly hingedly bound between said book-like cover members in the nature of a leaf in a book, and flexible tie means interconnecting said screen assembly with each of said cover members, said tie means being operative to limit extreme separation of said cover members to positions in which they extend oppositely from and substantially at right angles to said screen assembly whereby to maintain the latter in vertically erected picture-viewing position.

5. A portable screen unit for receiving thereon light-projected picture im'ages comprising a pair of relatively stiff members hingedly secured together to provide a book-like cover, a relatively stiff picture-viewing screen assembly hingedly bound between said book-like cover members in the nature of a leaf in a book, and flexible tie means interconnecting said screen assembly with each of said cover members, said tie means being operative to limit extreme separation of said cover members to positions in which they extend oppositely from and substantially at right angles to said screen assembly whereby to maintain the latter in vertically erected picture-viewing position, said cover members being adapted when swung into substantially parallel relation to closely embrace the screen assembly therebetween and so protect the screen against injury during storage or transportation of the screen unit.

HOWARD L. HALTER.

(References on following page) REFERENCES CITED Number The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date g g 1,735,162 Favour Nov. 12, 1929 6 Name Date McCandless Mar. 14, 1933 Carver Sept. 16, 1941 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Great Britain Aug. 9, 1906 

